Excavating-machine.



M. G. BUNNBLL.

EXGAVATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SBPT.2,190H.

Patented July 11, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES FTTORNEYS M. G. BUNNELL.

EXOAVATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2, 1908.

997,542, Patented July 11,1911.

3 SHEETS-8 HEET 2.

WITNESSES l/Vl/E/VTOR: a Q I M0/P7'0/v6..5u/m EAL.

H7" TO/FNEYS munlu WIMP" C0" WASHINGTON, D. C.

M. G. BUNNBLL.

EXOAVATING MAUHINE.

nruonlon rum) snrr. 2, 1900.

997,542. Patented July 11, 1911.

Wrrzvzaszs /Nl/ENTOR. a MORTON a. BUN/V541 ATTORNE Y5 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MORTON G. BUNNELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO FREDERICK C. AUSTIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

EXCAVATING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

atented July 11, 1911.

Application filed September 2, 1908. Serial No. 451,296.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Mon'roN (it. BUNNELL, a. citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Chicago, (look county, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful lniprtwement in Excavating-Machincs, of which the following is a specification.

In a certain well known type of excavator, the work of excavating is done by means of a bucket that can be pulled forward until it is loaded, and which can then be hoisted and operated to discharge the dirt at any given point within reach of the machine, an arrangement of this kind being ordinarily known as a drag-line bucket, for the reason that a rope or cable is used for dragging it along the ground. Machines of this character have certain advantages in connection with certain kinds of work, which are Well known and understood by those skilled in the art, and which need not be here discussed.

Objects of my invention are the provision of a drag-line bucket of such character that it will automatically discharge the dirt from the rear end thereof when hoisted and brought over the place where it is desired to deposit the load; to provide a bucket which will automatically discharge the load therefrom when the hoist-line, which has only its lower end secured thereto, is given a final upward movement; and to provide certain details and features of improvement tending to increase the general efiiciency of a drag-line bucket, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

To these and other useful ends, my invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of an excavator equipped with a drag-line bucket involving the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the bucket shown at the right in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view of the said bucket in dumping position. Fig. 1 is a plan of the bucket shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the bucket shown in Fig. 1.

As thus illustrated, the excavator shown comprises a suitable body or platform A mounted on trucks B of any suitable, known or approved form. At one end the machine is provided with a turn table or revolving support (I that serves as a base for the. mast or upright D and the swinging boom or derrick arm E, which latter has its lower-end c suitably connected with the base of the upright D, and is provided at its outer end with an arm carrying a sheave 6'. Another sheave c is mounted at the upper end of the mast or upright D, and a hand winch c is disposed in position at the base of the same. A rope or cable a is secured at one end to the arm of the sheave c, and after going once around the sheaves c and 0 extends downwardly to the said hand. winch e, whereby the boom or arm E can be raised and lowered. The hoist-line or cable F extends ovcr the sheaves e and f mounted respectively on the outer end of the arm E and the ripper end of the upright D, and then extends downward where it passes below a sheave f at the base of said upright; and from here the said hoist-line extends to the Windlass or drum f operated by the engine f which latter is controlled in any suitable manner. A cable G passes around the grooved periphery of the revolving support C and is operated by another drum driven by said engine and under the control of the operator. Side braces (l and a longitudinal brace (1' connect the top of the mast with the body A in such manner that the said mast or upright D is free to turn with the support C. thus insuring strength without interfering with the lateral swing of the boom or derrick arm E during use of the machine for excavating. The devices so far are old and may be of any suitable or desired character.

The drag-line bucket H is, however, a matter of special improvement, and comprises sides 72 and a bottom 71, the latter having a lip or cutting edge In and a pair of heels or runners I1 Said sides are provided with eyes I? for the drag-line connection, and with ears Ii at the rear of the top of the bucket which is closed by a suitable top wall or cover. A pair of bars h having notches 117 in the lower edges thereof are secured to the opposite sides of the bucket and project from the rear thereof. The swinging rear end wall or door h is pivoted at h to the ears it and has a couple of upwardly extending and converging rigid arms 71 A pair of guide rolls h for the hoist-line F are mounted between the upper ends of said arms, and upon the back of said door the latches It are pivoted at it, said latches having their inner ends pivoted at. It" to the lower end of a rod h", and the outer ends being extended through slotted guide plates on the arms h and adapted to engra e the notches if to lock the door shut. The upper end of the rod It is pivotally connected with a trigger h that. is pivoted on the arm h" at it" and provided with a fork It at its opposite end. The hoist-line 1 passes down through a shoulder It on the arm E, and between a pair of guide rolls h mounted therein; and when the fork h" strikes the shoulder the door [L8 is opened. Plates [L21 are secured to the sides of the bucket and to these are pivoted the lower ends of the bail arms 71, the latter being connected together at their upper ends by the cross bars or channel irons h; and a pair of chains h connect the sup )orting bail thus formed with the front 0 the bucket. It will be observed that the hoistdine is secured to the middle of the upper portion of said bail, and that the drag-line h is secured to the eyes 7t. The other end of said drag-line is operated by a drum h at the engine.

In operation, the machine is positioned and the bucket allowed to descend to the ground by paying out the hoist-line F,

Then the drag-line 72 is operated to pull the bucket forward, and in this way the same is loaded as it is dragged along the ground. When full the bucket is raised by operating the hoist-line F, and is then swung to the desired position to dump by turning the support C, in the well known manner. Further upward movement of the bucket causes the trigger h to come in con tact with the shoulder 7a, with the result that the door is unlatched by the disenga ement of the latch h from the notches i; and the upward movement then causes the bucket to rotate to the osition shown in Fig.3, thus allowing the oad to dump from the open rear end thereof. When the bucket is lowered it rights itself and the door automatically closes and latches. It will be seen, therefore, that I provide a drag-line bucket excavator in which the mere act of hoistin the bucket serves automatically at the right time to dum the load from the rear end thereof. It wi 1 also be seen that the bucket is automatically tilted by the final upward movement of the hoist-line, notwithstanding that the latter has only its lower end attached to the bucket, and extends in a straight line from the end of the boom to the bail of the bucket.

For the broader purpose of my invention, the bucket does not necessarily dump from the .rear and is not necessarily provided with a door, as the feature of a straight line single hitch or conru-ction for the hoistline, and also the feature of an arm that reaches up from the bucket to engage the boom, thus causing the bucket to tilt about its axis, may be embodied in other forms of bucket without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as my inwntion is- 1. In an excavator, the combination of a drag-line bucket having a door at the rear end thereof, hoisting means, and means serving automatically to open said door when the bucket. is hoisted into position for dumpmg.

2. In an excavator, a bucket having abettom and a door at its rear end, the front of the bucket being open, means for forcibly tilting the bucket and opening said door to dump the load, when the bucket is raised, and means for operating the bucket.

3. In an excavator, a tilting bucket having its rear end )rovided with a door, a hoist-line and a drag-line for said bucket, and means operated by the pull of the hoistline for automatically evening said door and tilting said bucket to ump the load from the rear end thereof.

4. In an excavator, a pivoted bucket, a door for the rear end thereof, hoisting means, and means operative to automatically open said door when the bucket is hoisted and to then rotate the bucket about its axis to bring the open rear end thereof into position to discharge the load therefrom.

5. In an excavator, a bail, a bucket pivoted on said bail, a hinged door for the rear end of said bucket, an arm rigid with said door and extending upwardly therefrom, a latch for said door, a hoist-line connected with said bail, a trigger on said arm connected with said latch, and means for engaging said trigger when the bucket is hoisted, adapted to serve as a shoulder to limit the upward movement of said arm, permitting the bucket to tilt to dumping position.

6. In an excavator, a bucket, hoisting means, and means for automatically discharging the load from the bucket, by the final upward movement thereof, comprising a ivoted part on the bucket.

In an excavator, the combination of a drag-line bucket having a door at the rear end thereof, hoisting means, means serving automatically to open said door when the bucket is hoisted into position for dumping? boom or derrick and a laterally swingin arm upon the outer end 0 which said bucket upon the outer end of which said bucket is carried, when it is raised for dumping, and

a drag-line for operating the bucket.

9. In an excavator, a tilting bucket having its rear end provided with a door, a hoist-line and a drag-line for said bucket, means operated by the pull of the hoist-line for automatically opening said door and tilting said bucket to dump the load from the 10, rear end thereof, and a laterally swinging boom or derrick arm upon the outer end of which said bucket and means are carried.

10. In an excavator, a bail, a bucket pivoted on said bail, a hinged door for the rear end of said bucket, an arm rigid with said door and extending upwardly therefrom, a latch for said door, a hoist-line connected with said bail, a trigger on said arm connected with said latch, means for engaging said trigger when the bucket is hoisted, adapted to serve as a shoulder to limit the ,upward movement of said arm, and a latierally swinging boom or derrick arm upon lthe outer end of which said bucket is carried.

11. In an excavator, a bucket, hoisting means, means for automatically discharging the load from said bucket by the final upward movement thereof, and a laterally swinging boom or derrick arm upon the 30: outer end of which said bucket and means 1 are carried, whereby the bucket may swing back and forth, and a drag-line for said bucket.

12. In an excavator, the combination of a drag-line bucket having a door at the rear end thereof, hoisting means, means serving automatically to open said door when the bucket is hoisted into position for dumping,

a movable body, an engine carried on said body, and means whereby the engine operates the bucket.

13. In an excavator, a bucket having a bottom and a door at its rear end, the front of the bucket being open, means for tilting 45 the bucket and opening said door to dump the load, a movable body, an engine carried on said body, and means whereby the engine operates the bucket.

14. In an excavator, a tilting bucket having its rear end provided with a door, a hoist-line and a drag-line for said bucket, means operated by the pull of the hoist-line for automatically opening said door and tilting said bucket to dump the load from 55 the rear end thereof, a movable body, an engine carried on said body. and means whereby the engine operates the bucket.

15. In an excavator, a pivoted bucket, a door for the rear end thereof, hoisting means, means operative to automatically open said door when the bucket is hoisted and tothen rotate the bucket about its axis Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by Washington, D. 0.

to bring the open rear end thereof into po sition to discharge the load therefrom, a movable body, an engine carried on said body, and means whereby the engine operates the bucket.

16. In an excavator, a bail, a bucket pivoted on said bail, a hinged door for the rear end of said bucket, an arm rigid with said door and extending upwardly therefrom, a latch for said door, a hoist-line connected with said bail, a trigger on said arm connected with said latch, means for engaging said trigger when the bucket is hoisted, adapted to serve as a shoulder to limit the upward movement of said arm, a movable body, an engine carried on said body, and means whereby the engine operates the bucket.

17. In an excavator, a bucket, hoisting means, means for automatically discharging the load from the bucket by the final upward movement thereof, a movable body, an engine carried on said body, means whereby the engine operates the bucket, to cause the same to fill, and means whereby the engine operates said hoisting means.

18. In an excavator, a bucket, a hoistline having only a straight downward single connection to said bucket, and means for automatically tilting said bucket into dumping position when the hoist-line is given a final upward movement.

19. In an excavator, a bucket, a hoistline therefor, an arm extending upward from the bucket, means below the upper end of said arm for giving the hoist-line a straight downward single connection to said bucket, and means for engaging said arm to allow the final pull of the hoist-line to tilt the bucket into dumping position.

20. In an excavator, a bucket, a hoistline having only a single straight connection therewith, and means operated by the finalpull of the hoist-line to discharge the load therefrom.

21. The improved drag-line bucket, the said bucket provided with a pivoted bottom which is operated by means on the end of the boom, substantially as shown and described.

22. In an excavator, a combined hoisting and tripping rope for the bucket thereof, arranged over a plurality of sheaves, adapted by upward movement to trip the latch and tilt the bucket, substantially as described.

Signed by me at Chicago, Illinois, this 22nd day of August 1908.

MORTON G. BUNNELL.

Witnesses:

C. E. TAYLOR, ELLEN OLEee.

addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 

